Ravens defensive lineman Ma'ake Kemoeatu helped the Ravens bring home the Lombardi Trophy in 2012. His little brother Chris Kemoeatu did the same for the Steelers, but both left football when the younger Kemoeatu's kidneys started to fail.

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"As soon as my brother's health was at risk, I wanted to stop everything. I wanted to. My only fear was his health, and I wanted to make sure my brother was going to be healthy," Ma'ake Kemoeatu said.

Chris Kemoeatu has had a kidney filter disease since he was a teenager, and it slowly got worse until a couple of years ago, when doctors told him he needed a kidney transplant. All six of his siblings and his father were tested, and Ma'ake Kemoeatu was a 99 percent match. He gladly gave up his kidney, saying he felt it was his duty as the oldest child.

"It was my responsibility to take care of my younger brothers and sisters, so if my brother or any of my siblings need blood, it would be my blood. If my brother or siblings need a kidney, it would have to be my kidney," Ma'ake Kemoeatu said.

The brothers turned to the medical staff at the University of Maryland Medical Center for the procedure. Chris Kemoeatu's doctors said they were fortunate his brother was a near perfect match, and also that they were about the same size, considering it’s not easy to find another donor that weighs 385 pounds.

"The kidney we ultimately got from Ma'ake was probably the largest normal kidney I've ever seen in my life. It was about one and a half times bigger than any other kidney I've had the chance to put in," said Dr. Stephen Bartlett, the surgeon-in-chief at UMMC.

The surgery was Aug. 27, and since then, the brothers have recovered remarkably well. They're staying in Baltimore, close to the hospital, and are thankful for the help of family and friends.

There's one "thank you" Chris Kemoeatu said he can never say enough.

"A true 'thank you' to (my brother) for making the sacrifice. It's really been a humbling experience," he said. "I have nothing but love for him."

The two brothers shared the same childhood, the same career and now the same kidney. They said it’s brought them even closer together.